Baking question?

Question

is it ok to use country crock to bake christmas cookies with? it says to use "unsalted butter" whats the diff?

Answer 1

Is it the kind in the tub or the sticks of country crock? If it's the sticks of country crock, they should work fine, but don't use the tub kind. It will make your cookies flat and gross - it has too much oil in it! At least that has been my experience!

Answer 2

Country Crock is a hydrogenated oil, from vegetables. It is pumped with air!
Butter is an animal fat, with very little air. So, from the start, you have a problem with ounce for ounce issues, unless you melted both and used the same amount.
Then there is the issue of saltiness. Country Crock will have a lot of sodium, whereas unsalted butter will not. So, if you decide to use the C.C. instead, you must reduce the salt in the recipe.
Is there a reason why you cant use the butter? IT will be SO much better.

Answer 3

Country Crock is a soft, spreadable margarine that contains water. If you substitute it for the unsalted butter, your cookies will be flat and spread out, rather than fluffy and tall. They may also be soggy or doughy tasting. The taste, texture and "mouth feel" of the cookie will be very different.

The recipe calls for butter because butter is pure fat. As the cookies bake, the fat melts, and the sugar it was whipped with caramelizes - that's part of why the cookie browns. Most recipes call for unsalted butter, then add salt later because it's easier to control the amount of salt actually in the recipe.

Answer 4

The reason many recipes say to use unsalted butter is because doing so allows the baker to then control the amount of salt. Usually such recipes will also specify the amount of salt to be added in.

When I bake, I generally use Blue Bonnet margarine instead of regular (salted) butter. If the recipe calls for unsalted butter, I usually just omit the salt and continue with the rest of the recipe as written.

As a rule of thumb, I follow this rule:
Unless the predominant flavor of the baked good is butter (as in butter cookies, let's say), substituting margarine is fine. Otherwise, go for the butter.

Answer 5

I am not sure about Country Crock in the tubs. You may have some difficulty getting an accurate measurement, most cookie recipies are geared towards using sticks of something, whether it be margarine or butter.
Substituting margarine for butter, usually affects the flavor of the cookie, especially when dealing with Christmas cookies which often the predominate flavor is the butter. It also affects the texture, as cookies made with margarine are often less delicate than butter cookies becuase of the difference in ingredient composition, butter being a natural product, and margarine being a man made amalgamate of artificially hardened vegetable oil and water.
Overall, I believe butter gives a better result, but margarine in stick form can be an acceptable substitute.

Answer 6

If you don't use unsalted butter, you will only get a different flavor. The recipe you are using is based around the fact that you have no extra salt in the butter, so if you add a non unsalted butter ingredient, you will really be putting in too much salt, but sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference.

Answer 7

If it is stick margarine. Otherwise the cookies may spread out too much or turn out really greasy.

The salt content may also make your cookies too salty. Recipes specify unsalted butter because different manufacturers use different amounts of salt in their butter.

If you are going to take the time to bake something yourself, you should use the best stuff you can get. You'll be much happier with the end product if you use what the recipe calls for.

Answer 8

It is just fine.Dont sweat the little things that all these others are worried about.Trust me,I have lived with this girl,who happens to be my fiance,for over 7 years.She has been to King Arthur Flour Baking School in Norwich Vt.,and Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park N.Y.She was also an assistant pastry chef for 4 years at a 4 star resort.If she says the country crock is ok then it is.Happy cookie makin!!!!

Answer 9

As long as the butter is not salted is should be fine. Is country crock margarine or butter? If it's margarine your cookies might come out a little bit flatter than normal but it'll be okay.

Answer 10

Salted butter will add too much salt to your recipe. Use unsalted so that the only salt in the cookies is the amount recommended. You will very much appreciate the difference.